


Tell Me A Tale

by Dafna536



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 12:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13167237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dafna536/pseuds/Dafna536
Summary: What would happen if you ask your enemy to tell you a fairytale?





	Tell Me A Tale

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Сказка на ночь](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548260) by [Dafna536](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dafna536/pseuds/Dafna536). 



> This is a drabble I wrote for the Russian FB mini-fest. The sad part is - I couldn't find beta for this text, so - mistakes are coming.

The wards on the door were just laughable, Grindelwald broke it with a flip of his wand and put his own instead. He walked into the dimly lit hotel room and stopped by the bed. 

Scamander was predictably asleep, he had not even managed to undress properly. Grindelwald set on the edge of the bed, put his wand into his pocket and reached out to pull away the ginger strand off Scamander's eyes. The freckled face looked peaceful, boyish and incredibly sweet. The initial plan was to give the man a good lesson which would make him think twice before crossing his road again. He dismissed this scheme down there at the cafe — those bright green eyes and wide sincere smile were more disarming then any enchantment. Besides his anger had faded a lot since the New York incident.

Grindelwald waved a hand over the sleeping man's face and Scamander obediently opened his fog-shrouded eyes. The potion proved to be flawless. Just two drops into a cup of tea - and here is your enemy — drowsy, helpless, completely at your mercy.

"Hello, Newton."

"Oh." Scamander blinked in surprise, then took a fright at last and made a pitiful attempt to sit up. Without any luck though. "What are you doing here?"

"Relax, my friend. It's just a dream," Grindelwald smiled and caressed Scamander's cheek affectionately. "You're sleeping."

"Ah," Scamander believed instantly. "You're not real. Then why are you in my dream?"

"Not long ago you have stolen another fosterling for your little zoo, and by chance took away one peculiar item from its owner. So, where is the map, Newton? I want to take a look.”

"The map?" Scamander asked uncertain. "It's in the case."

"Where exactly?" Grindelwald put his fingertips at Newt's temples. "Show me."

***

Gellert had little patience, so he unfolded the map right there — on the dusty hotel room table. That thing was quite peculiar indeed, the charms on the map were more intricate than he had anticipated. Old magic, interlaced in a whimsical tracery, refused to show its secrets. He read the incantation again, waved his wand — lines on the map shimmered silver, then flashed mocking red and died out. Grindelwald swore under his breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He felt other eye on his skin and turned his head. Scamander was awake, lying silently on the bed and watching him. Perhaps, this time he shouldn't have experimented with the ingredients of the potion, side effects were sometimes quite unpredictable.  
He shook his head reproachfully.

"You should be sleeping."

"I feel uneasy when you are here." Scamander mumbled apologetically. Grindelwald gave him a reserved smile.

"I thought we had already established, that I wasn't real."

"I know," Scamander sighed heavily. "You're not like him."

Grindelwald raised a quizzical eyebrow at him and took a step closer.

"Not like who?"

"The real one."

"Oh, seriously? How so?"

"You are different." Scamander answered with half convince. "Warmer." And fell silent. 

Grindelwald rubbed his cheek in annoyance.

"Quite informative. Go to sleep now. I have work to do."

Scamander waggled his head stubbornly. Grindelwald folded his arms and came closer.

"So? What should I do? Sing you a lullaby? Tell you a bedtime story?"

He reached out for his wand to put the sleeping charms on the man, but stopped, surprised by sudden elation in Scamander's eyes.

“Can you?”

Grindelwald laughed. Look at him — the guy is almost thirty, hobnobs with most dangerous beasts of the world and still looking for some kind of childish comfort. He shook his head and took out his pocket watch — three hours before his train arrival. Still a lot of time. Trains were the easiest way to get out of town acrawl with aurors.

The bed was a bit narrow for two people, but he moved Scamander to the wall and they somehow fitted in together so that the British luminary of magizoology was snuggling cozy into him with his hand on Grindelwald's chest and leg around his thighs, breathing sweetly into his neck.

"Once upon a time in the shack on the hill of Brandenburg forest there lived a wizard." Grindelwald began and Scamander issued a happy sigh. Gellert caressed his shoulder lightly and continued. "Muggles from nearby villages called him "Sandman", though his real name was Wilhelm. But the wizard was so old and had been living there for so many years, that his name was long forgotten, and those, who remembered it were dead."

***

By the time Grindelwald finished the story, he was almost sleeping himself, he mixed up some names and his villain somehow turned into a heron instead of a bear. He wouldn't have thought that he could fell asleep, but Scamander's steady breath was soothing, making his thoughts heavy and mind drowsy.

Grindelwald woke up in two hours, disentangled himself out of Scamander's embrace and sat on the bed, blinking sleepily. It was already dark outside, but street lamp gave enough light to discern shapes and contours of the objects in the room. Grindelwald looked reproachfully at Scamander's sleeping form as if it was his fault, that Gellert had succumbed into temptation and fallen asleep. He got up, readjusted his dress, came to the table, folded the map and made it smaller with a silent incantation. After packing it into his pocket, he returned back to the bed.

Scamander was still soundly sleeping, obtuse anxious growling was coming from his case. Alas, the beasts in it were to stay hungry this evening — their owner would come into senses only tomorrow morning. 

He should have obliviated the man, but had no wish to do it, on the contrary — there was something very pleasant in making Scamander think about him. Gellert bend down and placed a light kiss on Scamander's cheek, brushing the corner of his mouth with his lips., inhaled the redolent scent in the crook of his neck and swiftly stepped away. 

When the lock of the closing door made a click, Scamander scowled, but in a moment his face lightened and he smiled in his slumber.


End file.
